


First Love, First Forgiveness

by DustyOldQrow



Series: Qrow's Pegoryu One-Shots [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Boys In Love, Cuddling & Snuggling, Holding Hands, M/M, Making Up, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustyOldQrow/pseuds/DustyOldQrow
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Akira has just been released from prison. It's a happy reunion, but Ryuji wants to talk to him about the night they shared on Christmas Eve.Technically a sequel to "Christmas Time of Year" but can be read separately.Title is from "Outlaws" by Green Day.
Relationships: Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Qrow's Pegoryu One-Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572634
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	First Love, First Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> This accidentally ended up being half Pegoryu and half Phantom Thieves group chat. Oops.
> 
> I tried to emulate Akira's "semi-silent protagonist" shtick he has in the game.

Akira flopped into bed that night feeling like he was on top of the world.

It was done. They’d changed Shido’s heart, they’d changed the heart of society as a whole. He’d spent a few months in jail, but it was worth it to keep his friends safe and to keep Shido locked away. And now, thanks to his friends, he’s back. He’s out, he’s home, and it’s all thanks to the former Phantom Thieves.

He finds it hard to keep the smile off his face as he sits on the edge of his bed with Morgana by his side. Morgana’s return had been a surprise, but a welcome one to be sure. Akira had honestly gotten used to his constant bossing around - and he meant that in the kindest way possible. It was nice to have someone constantly looking after him, aside from his other friends.

“Delicious food, fluffy sheets… I’ve graduated from the life of a stray cat.” Morgana purrs, stretching his limbs out as Akira scratches at his head. “I guess home is what you make of it… even in this abandoned building of all places.”

Akira takes a second to look around his room. Even after the time spent away from it, it still feels the same. The faint smell of coffee and curry coming in from the downstairs makes him feel safe, and the familiar sights of all the gifts from his friends over his year in Tokyo fills his heart with warmth.

“Take care of me like this back home too, okay?” Morgana looks up at him with wide eyes, and Akira can’t stop the nodding motion his head makes even if he tried. Morgana pushes his head into Akira’s hand and lets out a particularly loud purr. Akira smiles at him, his chest filling with warmth.

With a buzz and a ring, Akira’s phone goes off. He lifts his hand - Morgana lets out a whine as he does - and digs the device out of his pocket. He nearly drops the phone from his hand when he reads the text, or, more specifically, who it’s from. Ryuji.

_ >Hey, man. I think we need to talk. Seriously. _

_ >I’ll come by LeBlanc tomorrow morning, ‘kay? _

_ >See you then. _

Ryuji Sakamoto. His best friend ever since he’d arrived in Tokyo. Or was he something more, now? Akira couldn’t tell when he’d fallen in love with the blonde rebel. All this time, Ryuji was the brightest light, the first good thing to happen to him ever since the incident that got him sent here.

They’d shared a moment together on Christmas Eve - Akira, preparing to turn himself in, confessed to Ryuji, and Ryuji had done the same. They’d cuddled under the covers for hours. Ryuji gave him a thoughtful gift - a sports watch that currently found itself wrapped around Akira’s wrist. It had been one of the best nights of Akira’s life…

Then came the morning. Akira hadn’t seen Ryuji’s reaction to the news but he’s sure he didn’t take it well. He and Ryuji didn’t speak of Christmas Eve at Akira’s welcome back party because neither of them brought it up - because Akira was too afraid to bring it up. But now, this… What else could “we need to talk” mean? Nothing. It couldn’t mean anything else.

Akira’s hand trembled as he pressed his thumb to his phone. He gulped and hit send, sealing his fate - though he had the feeling that Ryuji showing up tomorrow would happen regardless of his reply.

_ >I’ll be here waiting. _

_ >I’m sorry, Ryuji. _

He stares at his phone for a few minutes, sweat forming on his brow. Morgana peeks a glance at his phone and then shoots Akira a curious glance. “Something happen between you two?”

“You could say that.” Akira chokes out, his throat as dry as sandpaper.

“What was it? What happened? It’s gotta be big if it’s got you two fighting,” Morgana quips as he jumps into Akira’s lap, spinning around a few times before laying down. A few seconds pass in silence. “Well, whatever happened, I’m sure you guys can sort it out. You two have a bond unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

Akira hopes he’s right. Morgana yells as Akira lifts him off his lap, swinging his legs up to the bed, laying down, allowing Morgana to settle on his chest. He sighs and closes his eyes. Ryuji… what would tomorrow bring? How would they be, come the next day? Akira doesn’t know if he could stand to lose Ryuji. He just can’t.

It’s a night with no rest for Akira.

* * *

The first thing Akira does, before even opening his eyes, is unlock his phone. The bright light nearly blinds him, but he strains to see through the glare. He has a few new notifications, all in the Phantom Thieves group chat, from his friends wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s Day.

_ > _ **_Ann:_ ** _ Happy Valentine’s Day everyone~! _

_ > _ **_Ann:_ ** _ Shiho and I are going out today, so I won’t be able to hang out. Have fun! _

Akira smiles. After everything they’d been through, he’s glad that Ann and Shiho have each other. They make a good couple, and the others all agree, judging by their responses. He scrolls through the texts, following the conversation as it happens. But he notices one thing: Ryuji’s number is nowhere to be found.

_ > _ **_Akira:_ ** _ Has anyone heard from Ryuji? _

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ Nope. Nadda. _

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ Didn’t he have something to talk to you about? _

_ > _ **_Yusuke:_ ** _ Yes, he mentioned something to that effect at the party. He seemed upset. _

_ > _ **_Haru:_ ** _ Oh my, you two didn’t have a fight, did you? _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : You always get along so swimmingly. I can’t imagine what could have you two arguing. _

_ > _ **_Akira:_ ** _ It’s personal. _

_ > _ **_Makoto:_ ** _ Do you want us to track him down for you? _

_ > _ **_Ann:_ ** _ I don’t think we should do that, Makoto. _

_ > _ **_Ann:_ ** _ They’re big boys, they can sort out their problems without us butting in. _

__

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ Agreed. They can tell us about it afterward. _

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ If they want to. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke:_ ** _ Don’t you have LeBlanc bugged? _

_ > _ **_Makoto:_ ** _ Take down the bugs, Futaba. _

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ Fine. _

_ > _ **_Futaba:_ ** _ You guys better keep us in the loop, though. Don’t shut us out. _

_ > _ **_Haru:_ ** _ I hope you and Ryuji sort this out, Akira. Good luck! _

_ > _ **_Akira_ ** _ : Thank you. _

Akira locks his phone and lets his arm flop to his side with a sigh. Ryuji would definitely see those texts when he woke up, if he wasn’t awake already. With a groan, Akira sat up and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. Today was going to be a long day.

“Something the matter?” Morgana asked from the foot of the bed. Akira simply shook his head and got to his feet. Sojiro was going to need his help all day, as couples were bound to flock to the nearest restaurant for a date. And if it helped him not think about Ryuji, then that was just a bonus.

* * *

Too bad he worked through the whole day thinking about Ryuji.

Akira’s apron is soaking wet and his fingers are shriveled up like prunes by the time all of the dishes are done at the end of the day. He was right, there were a lot of couples in LeBlanc today. It was nothing he and Sokiro couldn’t handle together though.

Drying his hands with a washcloth, Akira turns away from the sink to find Sojiro standing behind the bar, looking at the now clean surface. “Jeeze, kid. You sure worked hard today,” Sojiro says while turning toward him, leaning against the bar. “You got every bit of it done. And in today’s rush, too. Why was it so busy today…?” The older man trails off, stroking at his beard, eyes gazing wistfully to the ceiling.

Akira cocks an eyebrow and tilts his head. “Uh…”

“Oh, right. Today’s Valentine’s Day.” Sojiro chuckles lowly to himself. “No wonder there were so many couples here today.” He laughs to himself for a second and then turns his gaze to Akira. “Kid, don’t you have anything more exciting to do today? I mean, you’ve been here nearly a whole year.”

The boy simply shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. Sojiro makes a noise and continues, “Y’know, when I was young, hoo boy…”

Akira makes to say something, but a sudden noise cuts him off. He and Sojiro turn to the direction of the noise - it’s the front door, and standing in the doorway with his posture slouched to the side is none other than Ryuji Sakamoto.

Ryuji’s eyes slowly look over the clean cafe before landing on Sojiro and Akira. “Hey.” He greets with a half-hearted wave. “Can we talk?” His eyes flick between the older man and Akira. “Alone? I… I think we need to… go over some things.”

Sojiro, for his part, looks completely stunned. He pivots to look at Akira, then turns around to look at Ryuji. “Oh.  _ Oh _ . You guys always did seem awfully close. Never woulda thought this though.” He shakes his head with a slight smile and walks out from behind the bar, towards the door Ryuji just entered. “I’ll leave the store to you. Don’t do anything too crazy, you crazy kids.” With those final words, Sojiro exits LeBlanc, leaving the two boys alone.

Akira simply stares at Ryuji in silence, throat too try to say anything.

It’s Ryuji who finally breaks the tension. “Why don’t we sit down, dude. I gotta feelin’ we’ll be here for awhile.” He spins on his heel and makes for the nearest booth, where he slides into a seat with magnificent grace. Akira follows quietly, sitting down stiffly.

“...”

“... How have you been, dude?” Ryuji asks softly. Akira keeps his head tilted down and refuses to meet Ryuji’s eyes. His beautiful soft eyes, always full of passion and loyalty, which were surely now filled with sadness and regret. Akira can’t bear to see that. So he answers without looking at his friend.

“About as good as I could be,” Akira states stiffly.

“Right. That makes sense.”

“How have  _ you  _ been?”

Ryuji sighs and leans back in the booth, kicking a foot onto the table. Sojiro wouldn’t be happy about that. “... ‘m fine. Now, anyway. We were all really torn up when we heard the news. I knew ya had somethin’ planned when we talked, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Prob’ly made it hurt  _ more _ .”

Akira tilts his head up ever so slightly, just enough to avoid locking eyes with the blonde. “I’m so sorry, Ryuji. I… I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Akira says, and it’s the truth. But just because he didn’t mean to, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. He hurt Ryuji. And he can’t take that back.

“I get why ya did it, man. We woulda tried to stop you, and you didn’t want that. But after…” Ryuji stops and lets out a shaky breath, then inhales deeply. “After… after Christmas Eve? I thought we were a bit closer than that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s the thing though. You’re not.”

Akira flinches back and looks up, his eyes wide with hurt. His heart feels like it’s stopped in his chest. His eyes look at Ryuji’s, expecting to find anger, or pain, or something, but instead finds the same eyes, the same soft look full of passion.

“You’re sorry you hurt me like that,” Ryuji continues, waving his hand lazily. “And… I forgive you for it. I forgive you. But lettin’ us find out through the news? After everything we’ve been through together? Dont’cha think we all deserved a bit better than that?”

Akira nods strongly. “You did. You all did. If I had been thinking clearly…”

Ryuji cuts him off with a soft nod. “You would have told us beforehand. But… dude, despite the pain it put us through… I… really enjoyed Christmas Eve, y’know?” Akira feels himself blush, and he knows he’s not imagining the red tint to Ryuji’s cheeks. His heart begins to beat again and he lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Ryuji closes his eyes and sighs slowly. “It… really fucking sucked, y’know? I went to bed that night the happiest I’d been in awhile, man. After everything we did, we won, and then... “ His eyes open. Brown eyes lock with Akira’s grey, and neither of them look away. “Then that night. You said that you loved me.”

“I…”

Ryuji cuts him off. “And you put yourself through jail just to keep us safe, so I guess you do love us. And I’m glad that Shido’s stuck behind bars. And I’m glad you’re home, man. I just wish it didn’t have to go like that.” Ryuji furrows his brow, and his eyes turn sharp. His legs slide off the table as he sits straight and leans closer to Akira. “I wanna ask you something, man.”

Akira takes in a shaky breath and leans in closer. “What is it?” He asks cooly, despite how fast his heart is beating.

“Do you still…” Ryuji’s eyes flick away for less than a second before locking with Akira’s yet again. “Do you still wanna give  _ us _ a shot?”

“Do you?”

Ryuji nods strongly. “I do. I really do. Do you know what the worst part about being separated from you was? I couldn’t stop thinking about all the shit I wanted to do with you. I practically stayed up all night thinkin’ about it.”

A smile sprouts across Akira’s face, and he makes no attempt to hide it. “I did the same. You were the one thing that almost stopped me from turning myself in.” Ryuji had always had that level of influence on him. He and Akira had always been on the same wavelength for most things, and when they weren’t, just a small plea from Ryuji would usually be enough to sway Akira.

Ryuji smiles softly and leans back in his seat, and Akira does the same. The two boys smile at each other for a second, taking in the silence. There’s no awkwardness this time - they simply take in the presence of the other, relishing them. Akira lifts a hand and waves with a chuckle. Ryuji copies the motion with a laugh of his own and, once the wave is done, rests his hand on the table. He jumps when his hand is covered by Akira’s. Their fingers intertwine with each other, their hands gripping the other’s tightly.

“So…” Ryuji starts. “Are we… y’know?” Akira feels Ryuji’s thumb gliding back and forth over his hand, and his chest fills with warmth as if he were about to melt. “Because… honestly, I really want us to be. I wanted it on Christmas, and I want it now. I want  _ you _ , Akira.”

“I…” Akira starts, and his throat locks up. He so, so badly wants to scream,  _ yes, yes I want that too _ , but the words just won’t form. He blinks once, twice, and tears start to leak from the corners of his eyes despite his smile. It all comes rushing back to him, all at once - the feeling of being treated like a criminal, the feeling of his own parents sending him away rather than having to deal with him. The feelings of arriving in a new city and having everyone treat him like shit.

But the feeling of Ryuji’s grip in his own brings him back. It brings him feelings of having a best friend, undyingly loyal to the point of threatening a teacher. Ryuji’s touch brings feelings of fighting side-by-side against unimaginable horrors inside the minds of twisted men. The feeling of a group - a  _ family _ \- willing to do anything for each other. Akira remembers Christmas Eve and how happy he felt in Ryuji’s embrace. It felt so warm.

“I love you, Ryuji.” Akira finally chokes out. Saying the words feels freeing. His throat opens and he feels like he can breathe again. He’s sure his face is as red as a box of Valentine’s chocolate, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. “I want to give  _ us  _ a try, too.”

Ryuji’s smile is so beautiful it alone could give Ann a run for her money. The blonde lets out half a laugh, as if the air forced its way out of his lungs. His smile is lopsided, almost dopey, and his eyes are wide with obvious joy. “I love you too, dude.” Ryuji takes his free hand and places it directly on top of Akira’s, sandwiching his hand between his own. “And just so I’m clear, I meant what I said, back on Christmas and now. What we got can’t be messed up. No matter what happens. We’ll always have each other’s backs. Even if this don’t work out, I’ll  _ always  _ be there for you.”

Akira nods his head. His jetblack hair falls in front of his glasses. Ryuji frees up a hand to reach up and put the stray hairs back in place. “I feel the same,” Akira states, reaching up to grab Ryuji’s hand before he could pull away. They stare into each other’s eyes, smiles as wide as can be.

“Oh!” Ryuji exclaims suddenly, jerking his hands out of Akira’s grasp. Akira can’t help the tinge of disappointment, but swallows it down as Ryuji begins digging around in his pockets. “I decided to grab this on the way here. I felt bad makin’ ya worry about us so…” Ryuji extends a closed fist, which Akira meets with an open hand. Something drops into Akira’s palm, and as he brings it closer to inspect it he sees a small bar of chocolate.

“You got me chocolate?” Akira asks humorously. Ryuji’s blush returns in full force, causing the delinquent to cross his arms in indignation.

“‘Course I did, man! It’s Valentine’s Day!”

Akira doesn’t point out that there were any number of ways their conversation could have gone, and instead pockets the chocolate and stands from the booth. “Thank you, Ryuji.” He walks over to Ryuji’s side of the table and slides in, the other boy scooting aside to make room. “I love it.” Akira scoots even closer until their arms are touching, and rests his head on Ryuji’s shoulder.

Ryuji looks at him. “Really?”

Akira looks back. “Really.”

The blonde smiles. “I’m glad.”

* * *

_ > _ **_Yusuke:_ ** _ It’s getting late. Has anyone heard from Akira or Ryuji? _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : They’re fine, don’t worry. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : I thought we told you to turn off your bugs! _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : You told me to turn off the bugs in LeBlanc. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : Akira’s room, on the other hand… _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : Why do you have Akira’s room bugged? _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : Don’t answer that. _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : How do you know they’re fine? What are they talking about? _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : Not really a whole lot of talking going on. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : Lots of kissing though. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : I’m fairly sure this counts as a gross breach of privacy. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : Please turn those bugs off, Futaba. _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : I should have known you’d have more bugs. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : You really should have. _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : Well, we did want them to work out their problems. _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : And that’s exactly what they’ve done, I suppose. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : Won’t they see these messages once they’ve finished? _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : Yusuke! _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : Poor choice of words there, buddy. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : What? When they’ve finished kissing. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : What else could I have meant? _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : Oh, Yusuke… _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : He’s right though. Let’s cease this conversation until those two decide to join us. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : We’ve been here the whole time. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : What? _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Our phones ain’t on silent. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Which Futaba should have heard. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : I did. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : It was funny to gossip about you and know you were actually reading it the whole time. _

_ > _ **_Akira_ ** _ : You guys shouldn’t gossip about friends, you know. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : Well, now that you’re here… _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : You two are okay, right? _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Yeah, we’re cool. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : And we may or may not be together now. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : You owe me twenty bucks, Yusuke. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : Damn. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Hold on, you two were betting on us? What the hell! _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : They’re not the only ones. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : I do believe Makoto owes me thirty. _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : Damn. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : What the shit!! _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Were ALL of our friends betting on us?! _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : I wasn’t! _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : Thank you, Haru! _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : You’re a true friend! _

_ > _ **_Akira_ ** _ : I don’t know whether to laugh or yell right now. _

_ > _ **_Akira_ ** _ : Were we that obvious? _

_ > _ **_Makoto_ ** _ : Yes. _

_ > _ **_Futaba_ ** _ : Yes. _

_ > _ **_Ann_ ** _ : Yes. _

_ > _ **_Yusuke_ ** _ : Yes. _

_ > _ **_Haru_ ** _ : Yes. _

_ > _ **_Ryuji_ ** _ : … What the hell. _

  
_ > _ **_Akira_ ** _ : Wow. _

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make this a tad longer and go into Akira leaving to go back home, but I figured that's best saved for a third story if I ever make one.


End file.
